Alan Parsons to give Sleeve Notes talks at Abbey Road Studio Two

Celebrated Recording EngineerAlan Parsonswill be presenting a fascinating ‘talk event’ in Abbey Road’s famous Studio Two later this month.
The producer and musician who worked with The Beatles and Pink Floyd and founded The Alan Parsons Project in 1975 will share his insight and experience in this exclusive event.

Dubbed Sleeve Notes: From Mono to Infintity, the session promises to be a unique opportunity to savour the atmosphere of the world famous studio and to hear first hand from Alan Parsons of his time working with the iconic artists who passed through Abbey Roads’ doors. The talks will incorporate audio recordings, video footage, photos and vintage studio equipment used to create classic tracks. Specifically the session will include:

• Insight into Alan’s integral role in the recording ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, including an audio demonstration of the famous clocks at the start of ‘Time’

• An in-depth exploration of his work on The Beatles ‘Abbey Road’, including pioneering recording & mixing techniques and studio effects.

• Recollections of The Beatles’ Saville Row Studio and the infamous rooftop concert

• Anecdotes on recording with and the Hollies, including a track breakdown of ‘The Air That I Breathe’, plus memories of Elton John’s guest cameo on ‘He Aint Heavy’

• Production work on classic rock hits like Al Stewarts ‘Year Of The Cat’, ‘Magic’ by Pilot and ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)’ by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel and ‘The Air That I Breathe’ by the Hollies.

There will also be an audience Q&A with Alan, which will be co-hosted by music journalist David Hepworth.

Too bad, that excepting an occasional one-song MP3 release, that Parsons seems to have abandoned his career as a recording artist.
Parsons took an extreme risk with his last album “A Valid Path”, in an attempt to target the kids, by jettisoning all the musicians that he had worked with in his post-“project” career, and recording a largely instrumental album of computer-programmed “techno” music. Parsons scared away his long-time fans, and worse yet, the use of a copy control technology on the disc raised concerns that it might not be playable on some car stereos or DVD players.
Just because Parsons alienated many of his fans with “A Valid Path” doesn’t mean that he should simply never make another album. It’s long overdue for Parsons to try again, and deliver the type of album that his fans will enjoy.

I was there last Saturday and it was f***in’ awesome, worth every penny! Never dreamed I would sit in the control booth of legendary Studio 2 next to Mr. Parsons, who turned out to be a really nice and humble guy. Still on a cloud!